I'm Sorry
by ElmoDaHorse
Summary: One-shot. Annabeth's had a rough life. Percy's always been there for her. Sometimes people shouldn't treat others badly just because they feel bad about something. Sometimes one little thing will help someone pull through. T for mentions of mature content.
1. Chapter 1

**I happened to be flicking through my profile and I found this thing about guys and girls and I was all like, "Must write one-shot!" so here it is! You might find this depressing, romantic, boring, uninteresting, out of character but I hope you like it. **

**Ricky ownz all that stuff...**

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_I'm sorry_  
_that I bought you roses_  
_to tell you that I like_ _you._

Percy stood outside the door holding a bunch of flowers, fiddling with his fingers nervously. It was the middle of the night and his best friend, Annabeth was definitely asleep. She usually went to bed around 10:00pm. It was 12:00pm. On a sudden impulse he placed the flowers on the door mat hurriedly, straightening the 'anon' signed note on it. He gave one last look at it, gaze flicking to the window. Dark. He fled.

_I'm sorry_  
_that I open your car door,_  
_and pull out your chair like I was raised._

Percy watched from under his hoodie, through the pounding rain as his long-time best-friend opened the car door and slid in. Percy felt angry. Why couldn't Luke be a proper guy and just man up and open the door for her? It was just a simple task. Percy didn't understand how Annabeth could be happy around Luke.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I'm not cute enough_  
_to be "your guy"_

A 14 year old Percy sat on the bleachers, slumping. His friend, his _best friend _was talking to his archenemy, Luke Castellan, the guy every girl wanted because of his looks and the guy every dude in school wanted to be. Why did Percy have to still be a gangly, pimple-faced teen? Annabeth seemed to be growing up without him.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I am actually nice;_  
_not a jerk._

Percy fumed. The handprint from Luke was still red on Annabeth's cheek and tears streamed down her face. Such a jerk to her and yet she thought Luke was the love of her life. Why couldn't Annabeth notice Percy?

_I'm sorry_  
_I don't have a huge bank account_  
_to buy you expensive things._

Percy saw the diamond owl necklace Luke had given Annabeth as she chattered on about some date that she had been on with Luke. As he saw it, Percy couldn't help but think about his own little run-down apartment that he shared with his mom and the almost non-existent money Percy and his mother had. He would never be able to buy Annabeth expensive things like that.

_I'm sorry_  
_I like to spend quality nights at home_  
_cuddling with you, instead of at a club._

Annabeth was completely wasted, asleep on Percy's couch as he watched a movie quietly. She had just come back from a club she had gone to with Luke. Annabeth had come home completely drunk and now she wore some of trackpants and a faded tee of Percy's. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and she snuggled a bit closer to Percy unconsciously. Percy looked down at her head of golden locks. _Why?_

_I'm sorry_  
_I would rather make love to you then just screw you_  
_like some random guy._

"Anna-" Percy stopped, hand still on the open door. It was morning. Well, around 10:00am but Annabeth still hadn't come out of her bedroom. Now he found out why. She was asleep, blankets covering her most-likely naked body, some random on the opposite side of the bed. Percy opened his mouth but no sound came out. He left, closing the door but Percy couldn't help thinking one thing; _she deserves better_.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I am always the one you need to talk to,_  
_but never good enough to date._

Another break up. Percy sighed, resting his chin on her head as she cried into his shoulder. Annabeth just split from her three-week boyfriend and now she had come to her best-friend for some sympathy. It broke his heart to see her like this but she had been so reckless lately. Going out with people, somehow convincing herself she loved them only to have them break her. For someone so smart, Percy wondered why she couldn't just _see_.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I always held your hair back when you threw up, and didn't get mad at you for puking in my car,_  
_but when we went out you went home with another guy_

Another party. Ever since her brother's death Annabeth had coped by partying it up. Percy sighed, remembering what had happened last night as he watched his friend flirt with some new guy. Annabeth had called him, drunk out of her mind, stumbling every which way from some club. He had gone to pick her up only to find her heaving her guts out in a stall. Then coming back home she had spilled her contents again, quite by accident in his car. And now, after he had taken her to the park, hoping to help her feel better she was off playing again. Percy turned away sadly as Annabeth hopped in the guy's car.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I am there to pick you up at 4am when your new man hit you and dropped you off in the middle of nowhere,_  
_but not good enough to listen to me when I need a friend_

Percy had picked Annabeth up from the latest guy on some back road. He had dropped her off at her place then left for his only to find his mother in hospital. He was torn. Torn between choosing to pick up his friend instead of staying home with his mother. How could he let this happen? He sat in the hospital chair with his head in his hands. Where was his friend when _he_ needed her?

_I'm sorry_  
_If I start not being there because it hurts being used as a door mat, only to be thrown to the side when the new jerk comes around_

Percy had snapped. Annabeth, still drowning in her 3 year old misery over he dead brother, had ditched him again for some other idiot in the middle of a friendly lunch that Percy had taken her to. She had been moping about the last break up. This time, when this latest guy dumped her _he wouldn't be there_.

_I'm sorry_  
_If I don't answer my phone anymore when you call, to listen to you, cry for hours, instead of getting a couple hours of sleep before work_

Ignoring her. Percy's mother had passed away two months ago just after his 23rd birthday. His phone buzzed as he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Anger surged through him. Percy suppressed the urge to throw the phone across the room, instead, turning it off. No, now he wouldn't bother to try and listen to Annabeth's pity party. No, he had a life of his own to live.

_I'm sorry_  
_that you can't realize.. I've been the one all along._

Five and a half years. Only now was Annabeth starting to get over Malcolm's death. She had stopped dating and sleeping around with unknowns. All because of Percy. He had left her in her pit of moping. Percy was now attending his second last year of college, focusing on getting his degree for marine biology. He still remembered his best-friend. He still loved her. He still hoped she would realise that he had always been there for her. He still loved her. Percy still loved Annabeth.

_Most of all_

_I'm sorry_  
_For not being sorry anymore_

Percy wasn't sure he cared anymore. Occasionally he had seen Annabeth at college but soon he was out in the world, doing what he loved. He wasn't sorry anymore. He wasn't bitter. He still thought about her. He still loved her but now, if she partied, if she drank, if she slept with other guys he couldn't care less. Again, Percy tried to drown himself in what replaced study. Work.

_I'm sorry_  
_That you can't accept me for who I am_

"Percy, wait-"

"No Annabeth." His dull voice cut her off. "I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm not going to be that shoulder you can lean on. I'm not going to be there for you anymore Annabeth. You basically treated me like shit. Annabeth, I feel sorry for you that you just couldn't accept me for who I was."

She looked at him with sad, grey eyes. "And who was that?"

"That guy who loved you."

_I'm sorry_  
_I can never do anything right, and nothing that I do is good_  
_enough to make it in your world._

Percy stared down at her. Annabeth was standing there in all her professional architect glory, arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed up at him. The little fact that Percy had walked through the lobby of the hotel she and he were staying at in a wet wetsuit. Who could blame him? He had been out doing his job, studying some sea plants that needed documenting. Annabeth was also there for her job but she was designing some building. Now she was scolding him for being "too wet to walk through an expensive place like this". Percy shook his head, walking away, wetsuit squeaking.

_I'm sorry_  
_I caught your boyfriend with another girl and told you about it, I thought that was what friends were for..._

Percy had his hands in fists as he glared down at her.

"Luke would never do that!" she cried. Annabeth was back with her high school boyfriend and now, at age 29, she was going out with Luke again. Percy had caught Annabeth's boyfriend with a friend of his. Annabeth didn't believe him.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I told you I loved you and actually meant it._

"I love you Annabeth," Percy blurted. He slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Annabeth laughed.

"You? I don't believe that. You've basically hated me ever since the end of Senior year when I supposedly 'dumped all that shit' on you." She laughed again. Percy grew angry.

"You know Annabeth? Take my word or not I actually meant those three words. In case you don't remember, in Senior year after Malcolm died you got depressed. You partied every night, you-"

"Don't you dare talk to me about that!" Annabeth snarled. Percy shrugged, breathing to cool his temper. Even now, at 29, it still got away from him.

"You not the only one who lost someone that night. And don't think you're the only one who's lost people they hold close." Percy then walked off, Annabeth gaping behind him. He forced himself not to look back.

_I'm sorry_  
_That I talked to you for nine hours on Thanksgiving when your boyfriend was threatening you instead of spending time with my family._

The shit was back. Annabeth had lost her father this time. She had gone back to getting boyfriends. Percy wished his mother was still there even though he recently found his biological father and his family. 30 year old Percy was still too loyal to the girl he still loved. He listened to her woes and maybe that was one of worst mistakes he had ever made. His little half-brother died later that night.

_I'm Sorry_  
_That I cared_

"You know what Annabeth?!" he shouted.

"What?" she yelled back. They were nose to nose, glaring at each other.

"I'm sorry that I cared," he whispered. "Right now, I think that's one of the most useless things that I've done in my life. Where did it get me? Barely passing Senior year and a _hell _of a lot of hurt. I'm sorry I cared Annabeth."

_I'm SORRY_

"Percy?" He lay on his side, staring at the wall in front of him. He had just turned 31. And it seemed Annabeth had returned.

"What?" Percy asked lowly. He still didn't turn to face her.

"I-I heard about your mother," she squeaked. "And...I was talking to Thalia the other day. I'm sorry I was a bitch. I can't say that I expect you to forgive me and I know sorry probably doesn't cut it but I think I've straightened my life out now. Can we at least just be f-" Percy sat up, swinging to face her. He opened his arms.

"You'd better not make me regret this Annabeth," he said. "Come here. I don't think I ever stopped loving you, you know." Annabeth slowly walked into his arms.

Maybe they were meant to be and Percy was right all along. _He was right for her_.

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**Ramble for the night. Anyone who reads my other stories, I do plan on updating some of them soon. Leave a review if you want, maybe favourite it. Whatever you feel like! Hope you like! :) Next time, just keep the Italics in mind...**


	2. PETITION AGAINST SOPA

**I know, I know. It's the dreaded AN but it's a very important one! Has anyone heard of SOPA? If you have or haven't it's this thing that will cancel access to anything that has something similar to copyright INCLUDING FANFICTION. I'm not joking. SOPA has tried to be passed 7 times, all failing and the petition has to have 100, 000 signatures before September 21st. Here is the link indirectly:**

**Petitions (DOT HERE) whitehouse (DOT HERE) gov (SLASH) petition (SLASH) stop-sopa-2013 (SLASH) LMzMVrQF**

**I know I don't update much but FanFiction is really important to me as a way of releasing my emotions. Reading pretty much always has been. If you sign the petition, here's a bribe. I will try my hardest to update EVERY ONE of my stories by at least one chapter before September 21st. PLEASE GO SIGN THAT PETITION!**

**~ElmoDaHorse**


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